Brindled beauty moth
Lycia hirtaria
The brindled beauty is a big, furry moth with grey wings dusted in black. When it sits on a tree trunk, its pattern makes it almost impossible to see. It flies in early spring, when many other moths are still asleep.
Lives in
Most of Europe and across Asia to Japan, in woods and leafy suburbs
Wingspan
4 to 5 cm (1.6 to 2 in)
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. It cannot bite or sting.
What does it eat?
Its caterpillars eat the leaves of many trees and bushes, like birch, oak, willow, apple and roses.
How big is it?
How wide are its wings?
🧱wings as wide as 1.5 toy building bricks⚽could fly across a whole football pitch in 24 seconds
How big is Brindled beauty moth compared to YOU?
Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
How fast is it?
A kid running fast about 13 km/h (8.1 mph)
Brindled beauty moth about 16 km/h (9.9 mph)
A grown-up on a bike about 25 km/h (16 mph)
A car driving in town about 50 km/h (31 mph)
cool stuff
Fun facts
1
The males have big feelers shaped like combs.
2
The females have a pale yellow wash over their wings.
3
The moths fly from March to the end of May, and the males come to lights.
4
It spends the winter as a pupa.
you asked
Most asked questions about Brindled beauty moth
?What does the brindled beauty eat?
Its caterpillars eat leaves of many trees and bushes, such as birch, oak, willow and apple.
?When does the brindled beauty fly?
In spring, from March to the end of May.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Lycia hirtaria
- Named by
- Clerck, 1760
- Group
- Moths
- Family
- Geometridae
- Classification
- Insecta > Lepidoptera > Geometridae
- Lives on
- Europe, Asia
- Also known as
- Brindled beauty
Where the facts come from
- Brindled beauty (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Olei. CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
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